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HOW TO BECOME A BELIEVER IN PEOPLE

Most people don’t have faith in themselves. They believe they will fail. They see a difficulty in every possibility. But the reality is that difficulties seldom defeat people; lack of faith in themselves usually does it. When others have faith in them - and tell them so - they can do the impossible.

• Believe in them before they succeed. It’s easy to have faith in people who have already proved themselves. It’s much tougher to believe in people before they have proved themselves. That is the key to motivating people to reach their potential. You have to believe in them first, before they become successful, and sometimes even before they believe in themselves.

• Emphasize their strengths. By emphasizing people’s strengths, you’re helping them believe that they possess what they need to succeed. Praise them for what they do well, privately and publicly. Tell them how much you appreciate their positive qualities and their skills. Anytime you have the opportunity to compliment and praise them in the presence of their family and close friends, do it.

• List their past successes. Not everyone has the natural ability to recognize past successes and draw confidence from them. Some people need help. If you can show others that they have done well in the past and help them see that their victories have paved the way for future success, they’ll be better able to move into action.

• Instill confidence when they fail. The first time or two that people fail - and they will fail because it’s a part of life - they have two choices. They can give in or go on. Some people are resilient and willing to keep trying to succeed, even when they don’t see immediate progress. Others aren’t that determined and will collapse at the first sign of trouble. To give them a push and inspire them, you need to keep showing your confidence in them, even when they’re making mistakes or doing poorly. Tell them about your share of flops, failures, and fumbles.

• Experience some wins together. To help people believe they can achieve victory, put them in a position to experience small successes. Encourage them to perform tasks or take on responsibilities you know they can handle and do well. Give them the assistance they need to succeed. In time, as their confidence grows, they will take on more difficult challenges, and they will be able to face them with confidence and competence because of the positive track record they’re developing.

• Visualize their future success. It’s been said that a person can live 40 days without food, four days without water, four minutes without air, but only four seconds without hope. Each time you cast a vision for others and paint a picture of their future success, you build them up, motivate them, and give them reasons to keep going.

• Expect a new level of living. Help others see beyond today and their circumstances and dream big dreams. Integral to a new level of living is a change in attitude. As people’s attitude change from doubt to confidence - in themselves and their ability to succeed and reach their potential - everything in their lives changes for the better.

Source: "Becoming a Person of Influence" by John C. Maxwell and Jim Dornan.